The Abortion Rights Campaign (ARC) is an Irish

abortion rights Abortion-rights movements, also referred to as pro-choice movements, advocate for the right to have legal access to induced abortion services including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their pre ...

group. The group's goal is the introduction of free and legal abortion in Ireland and Northern Ireland. A significant aim prior to May 2018 was the repeal of the Eighth Amendment of the Irish Constitution, which was achieved by the successful passing of the Thirty-Sixth Amendment 2018. ARC also campaigns for the

Northern Ireland Assembly sco-ulster, Norlin Airlan Assemblie , legislature = 7th Northern Ireland Assembly, Seventh Assembly , coa_pic = File:NI_Assembly.svg , coa_res = 250px , house_type = Unicameralism, Unicameral , hou ...

to introduce extensive abortion legislation and "to ensure the health of women in pregnancy is protected in line with international human rights standards". ARC supports the full decriminalisation of abortion in Ireland.

History

The Abortion Rights Campaign was founded by 40 people on 10 July 2012. Initially formed as the Irish Choice Network, after another meeting in the

Gresham Hotel Hotel Riu Plaza The Gresham Dublin, formerly The Gresham Hotel, is a historic Star (classification)#Hotel ratings, four-star hotel on O'Connell Street in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is a Dublin institution and landmark building which ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

on 8 December 2012 and another meeting on 19 January 2013 the Abortion Rights Campaign was formally launched. It has organised the annual March for Choice in Dublin since 2013. Many Irish politicians have supported ARC's aims, such as

Richard Boyd Barrett Richard Boyd Barrett (born 6 February 1967) is an Irish People Before Profit/Solidarity politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dún Laoghaire constituency since the 2011 general election. Boyd Barrett is a former member of Dún ...

(

Anti-Austerity Alliance–People Before Profit The anti-austerity movement refers to the mobilisation of street protests and grassroots campaigns that has happened across various countries, especially in Europe, since the onset of the worldwide Great Recession. Anti- austerity actions are ...

), Catherine Murphy (

Social Democrats Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote so ...

Mick Wallace Michael Wallace (born 9 November 1955) is an Irish politician and former property developer who has been a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Ireland for the South constituency since July 2019. He is a member of Independents 4 Change, ...

Joan Collins Dame Joan Henrietta Collins (born 23 May 1933) is an English actress, author and columnist. Collins is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, a People's Choice Award, two Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Primetime ...

and

Clare Daly Clare Daly (born 16 April 1968) is an Irish politician who has been a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Ireland for the Dublin constituency since July 2019. She is a member of Independents 4 Change, part of The Left in the European P ...

(

Independents 4 Change Independents 4 Change ( ga, Neamhspleáigh ar son an Athraithe) is a left-wing Irish political party. History The political grouping registered as a political party since 2014. It was previously known as Independents for Equality Movement. T ...

). ARC is not affiliated with any political party. ARC was one of the main partner organisations in

Together for Yes Together for Yes (TFY) is an abortion rights campaign group in Ireland. It campaigned successfully for a Yes vote in the 2018 referendum to ratify the Thirty-sixth Amendment, which removed the Eighth Amendment's constitutional ban on abortion ...

, the civil society group advocating a Yes vote in the 2018 referendum. One of ARC's founding members was a co-director of Together for Yes. ARC's network of regional groups across the island of Ireland formed the basis for many Together for Yes groups in several counties in Ireland. In January 2016, they received a grant of €23,000 from

Open Society Foundations Open Society Foundations (OSF), formerly the Open Society Institute, is a Grant (money), grantmaking network founded and chaired by business magnate George Soros. Open Society Foundations financially supports civil society groups around the wo ...

for "educational and stigma-busting projects."

SIPO The ''Sicherheitspolizei'' ( en, Security Police), often abbreviated as SiPo, was a term used in Germany for security police. In the Nazi era, it referred to the state political and criminal investigation security agencies. It was made up by the ...

reasoned that the money had been raised for a political purpose. The ARC returned the money in November 2016, while disagreeing with the finding. The story was first published in ''

The Irish Catholic ''The Irish Catholic'' is a 40-page Irish weekly newspaper providing news and commentary about the Catholic Church. The newspaper is privately owned by editor-in-chief Garry O’Sullivan, managed by a private limited company and independent of ...

'' in late March 2017.

Structure

ARC is an all-volunteer, non-hierarchical organisation. Membership elect a Convening Group annually, which convenes a Steering Group made up of representatives of several working groups and regional groups. Ongoing decision-making is carried out by the Steering Group during regular meetings. There is no one leader or spokesperson of ARC as the Convening and Working Group roles change on a regular basis. This structure is designed to encourage engagement and activity by all members, and to avoid power hierarchies.

March for Choice

The Abortion Rights Campaign's most visible event is the annual March for Choice, normally held on the Global Day of Action for Safe and Legal Access to Abortion. The March is organised by ARC and attended by the public, as well as various national

groups, including trade unions such as

Unite Unite may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Albums * ''Unite'' (A Friend in London album), 2013 album by Danish band A Friend in London * ''Unite'' (Kool & the Gang album), 1993 * ''Unite'' (The O.C. Supertones album), 2005 Songs ...

, Mandate,

Teachers Union of Ireland Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI; ga, Aontas Múinteoirí Éireann) is a trade union in Ireland representing teachers and lecturers in post-primary schools, adult education colleges, institutes of technology, and technological universities. The ...

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and

Union of Students in Ireland The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) ( ga, Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn) is the national representative body for third-level students' unions in Ireland. Founded in 1959, USI represents more than 374,000 students in over forty colleges acr ...

, political parties including

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

Solidarity–People Before Profit People Before Profit/Solidarity ( ga, Pobal Roimh Bhrabús/Dlúthphairtíocht, PBPS, PBP/S, or S-PBP) is a left-wing electoral alliance in the Republic of Ireland. It was formed by members of two socialist political parties in the Republic of I ...

, and the

, and international groups such as

Catholics for Choice Catholics for Choice (CFC) is a dissenting Catholic abortion rights advocacy group based in Washington, D.C. Formed in 1973 as Catholics for a Free Choice, the group gained notice after its 1984 advertisement in ''The New York Times'' challen ...

. The most recent March for Choice was held on 29 September 2018, the first since the vote to repeal the Eighth Amendment. The theme was 'Free Safe Legal', the slogan of ARC, and was chosen to "show

heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Officiall ...

support for stigma-free abortion access for anyone who wants or needs one, regardless of their financial or legal status". Speakers included ARC co-conveners Sarah Monaghan and Denise O'Toole, Zanele Sibindi of Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland, Evie Nevin of Disabled People for Choice and Emma Campbell and Kellie O'Dowd from the Belfast-based Alliance for Choice. The 2017 March for Choice was held on 30 September and over 40,000 people took part. The rally at the march's conclusion was addressed by

Bernadette Devlin McAliskey Josephine Bernadette McAliskey (née Devlin; born 23 April 1947), usually known as Bernadette Devlin or Bernadette McAliskey, is an Irish civil rights leader, and former politician. She served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Mid Ulster in North ...

. Additional "sympathy marches" were held in 20 cities around the world, including London, Sydney and Nicosia.

References

External links

* {{Abortion in the Republic of Ireland 2012 establishments in Ireland Abortion-rights organisations in Ireland